1000 Oceans
by MsJasperHale
Summary: Empty Streets. I follow every breath into the night. The wind so cold. The sun is frozen the world has los tit's light. I carry your picture deep in me. Back to you over 1000 seas. Back to us. My name is Amethyst. And I'm in love with Sirius Black.


Chapter One

I think I'll go for a jog today. It's very nice out. I pull my robes over my head and go outside. The lake is shining. No one is out here.. I have shorts on and a t shirt. My trainers are tied tightly. I stretch my legs out and take deep breaths of cold air. I begin to run. I watch my breath come out in puffs of white smoke. Then they disappear in the air.

My feet are pounding on the ground. It's a very long way around the lake. The ground is moving beneath me quickly. The waves are lashing against the sand and then folding in on itself. It's very pretty this early. It's quiet. The sun is barely up. And the water looks gorgeous. I think I might stay out here forever.

--

I have Transfiguration first thing in the morning. I find my seat quickly and wait for McGonagall to appear. Someone sits down next to me. It's Lily Evans. She smiles at me.

"Hi Amethyst." I say hi back. Her hair is very red. It's also really long. She is one of the most popular girls in the school. So why is she sitting next to me? She doesn't say anything else. She pulls out a piece of parchment and starts to write down the notes on the board.

The bell rings and McGonagall's office door opens. She's old. And mean. I don't like her very much. She doesn't seem to like me either.

"What is that ridiculous thing in your mouth, Miss Haven?" she barks at me. I think she means my ring. I tell her. She gives me detention for breaking the school's dress code. No inappropriate piercings, she tells me, and to have it out by tomorrow. I was not aware that a ring in your lip was inappropriate, but I don't say anything.

She starts the lesson. We're learning how to turn inanimate objects into animate objects. She turns a spoon in a small bird with a flick of her wand. It flies around the room, chirping. She waves her wand again and it falls to the ground, a metal utensil once more.

"Do it, " she commands. I pick up my wand and glance around. Lily's already tried the spell. She turned her notebook into a butterfly. It flies around in front of her. She's smiling. I look away.

James Potter and Sirius Black have made their quills into an army of billywigs. They escape from their clutches a sting someone in the first row. He's allergic and he begins to hover out of his seat. McGonagall gives them both detentions at the same time as me. This is fantastic.

I glance at my bag. I think of an animal and my bag is suddenly a kitten, curled up on my desk. Lily coos softly at it. It hisses at her and she recoils. Inside my head, I'm laughing. By the end of the period, McGonagall sends someone to get Madam Pomfrey. The boy from the front row is floating near the ceiling.

--

I walk slowly to detention. My ring is still in my lip. I play with it and twirl my hair around my fingers. Its blonde seems dark to my skin. But my hair is almost white. So I must be very pale today.

It's chilly in the hallways. Not many torches are lit. I find Potter and Black already in McGonagall's room when I enter. They're polishing small hand mirrors. I find it odd, but I don't say anything. McGonagall comes in with buckets. She hands them to Potter and Black. The trophy room and Flitwick's classroom needs cleaning, she tells them and they go without complaint. She turns to me and eyes my ring, but she doesn't say a word. She knows that I'm not going to take it out. She hands me a quill and sits me down at one of the desks. 500 lines, says. I Must Not Disobey the Dress Code. She leaves and I'm all alone.

I'm no where near finished by the time the boys come back. They're laughing and shoving each other. I try not to stare. They are both too good-looking for it to be normal.

"Still hear, Haven?" Black asks me. I don't say anything. I write another line. He sits down next to me. "I Must Not Disobey The Dress Code," he says. He looks up at James. "Well that's not fair. We had to clean and she writes lines."

"We hospitalized a student, Padfoot." James tells him. I can tell by his voice that he's smiling. Or holding in his laughter. Possibly both. "She wears a lip ring."

Sirius shrugs. "It's still not fair." He turns back to me. "Are you a mute, Haven? What happened?" I don't say anything. I write another line then stand up. I've written 136 lines in three hours. That's 44 lines an hour. I'm done for tonight. I leave them in the room and walk to my dormitory. I'm too tired to deal with them right now.

--

Everyone is sleeping as I fall onto my bed. It's past midnight and I only can get 6 hours of sleep. This is not enough. Because tomorrow morning, I have to run again. Before the sun wakes up too.

Chapter Two

I'm aching and sweating. My heart is pounding. I trudge inside and shake the snow from my hair. It began as soon as I stepped outside. I don't think anyone is awake yet. It's hardly 5 am. I figure I can get at least an hour in the shower this morning. I turn the water on hot and my muscles flex then relax. I ran around the lake twice this morning.

--

I sit down at breakfast and grab a waffle. It has blueberries in it. As I'm cutting the waffle in little pieces, someone grabs my arm. I look up. McGonagall looks angry. As usual. She tells me that I did not complete my detention last night. I tell her I know. She sputters. I have detention again tonight. And it's going to be supervised. I sigh and wrench my hand away from her wrinkly grasp. I'm hungry.

--

I see Hagrid trudging through the snow later in the afternoon. I'm looking out a window. His beard and hair are wild in the wind and they are speckled with snowflakes. Behind him is his dog, Fang. The dog is huge, gray and drooling most of the time. I lift the window open. I call to him. He looks up.

"Hi Amy," he says to me. Before I can ask him my question, Fang is galloping towards me. He launches himself at the window and lands half way inside.

"Fang!" Hagrid is scolding him. I laugh and scratch his head. His tongue sticks out and drool piles on the ground. Hagrid grabs him around the middle and they walk in through the door.

"How're yeh, Amethyst?" he asks me.

"I'm good," I tell him. "I have a question." Hagrid seems like a solid person to ask. I'm not sure why. I have a feeling. "Do you have a camera I could have?"

--

After explaining to me that he doesn't know how develop the film, he gives me a camera that looks fairly ancient. It's not huge, but it's not exactly small, either. I have to hold it in both hands and wear a strap around my neck. I take a picture of the snow swirling around outside. It does not have a flash, but it clicks, so I know it's captured. I stow the camera in my trunk and the bell rings and my free period is over. It's time for dinner and then my detention. I sigh. It's going to be another long night.

--

I walk in McGonagall's room to find Sirius Black sitting at one of the desk and McGonagall herself looking over his shoulder. He was writing lines, just like I was going to in a few moments. He has obviously been here for quite a while- there are two foot long sheets of parchment next to him and they're filled from top to bottom. There are quills scattered everyhwere and they're all broken. Wow. He must be working hard.

McGonagall looks up, sees me and sighs in exasperation. She glares at me and I touch my lip. I shake my head and sit down at a desk. I have to write more lines, but this time they're longer- I Must Not Disobey My Teacher And The Dress Code.

We sit in silence for the entire three hours we're there. Sirius writes three more pages. I lag through mine and I can see McGonagall is still pissed at me. We're not getting anywhere with this and she knows that. I don't get another detention but she takes 20 points away from Gryffindor.

"Good job, Haven," Black says to me as we leave. I shrug. I don't care about House Points. We don't say anything as we come to the common room. He says the password and lets me go in first. He's such a gentlemen. He heads over to the couch where Lily, James, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew are sitting. I walk to go upstairs but Lily calls me over. I stare at her.

"Come sit with us," she says. I shake my head, No, thank-you, good night, and head up to my bed where I invariably crash with a splitting headache. I don't think I'm going for a run tomorrow morning.

--

When I wake up, I'm freezing. The window is open and snow is swirling inside. I push back my covers and jump as the flesh of my feet hit the freezing tiled floor. I go to shut the window, but from this view, the Forbidden Forest looks different. Eery, still, but different. I turn my head to the side. The trees aren't like normal trees. They're duller looking, not normal green and brown. More like gray and black. I leave the window open and take out my camera. I fiddle with the lens until I have a wide shot and click the shutter. It clicks loudly. So loudly the girl next to the window wakes up. Her name is Audrey and she blinks blearily at me.

"What are you doing, Amethyst?"

"Nothing," I tell her but I take another picture. She sits up. She's looking out the window now, too, and eyeing the camera in my hands.

"Where did you get that?" She points to it. I point the viewfinder at Hagrid's Hut. There's already smoke furling out of the chimney. I click.

"Hagrid." She nods and we're silent. I take another picture of the skyline, the trees gracing the gray sky. There is no sun out today, but during this season, that's pretty normal. We both stand there for a minute. I'm still taking pictures. I glance at the clock. It's 6:13 am. I've been up for at least a half hour. We could get 2 more hours of sleep if we want, but I'm took wide awake.

I look back at Audrey who is yawning. She's got brown hair and a tall frame, towering over me by at least 6 inches. Not that I'm tall to begin with, but still. She smiles at me and I find myself smiling back.

"Could I see the pictures when you get them developed?" she asks me and I nod. This is strange. I've known Audrey since I was 11 and she's never said one word to me until now. And she's being nice. I close the window and get ready for the day.

--

I'm sitting in Charms when Lily sits by me again. I try not to think about it, but it soon overtakes my mind and I can't stop myself.

"Why are you sitting here?" I ask her quietly. She looks at me in surprise.

"Do you not want me to sit here?" she asks. I shrug.

"I don't care where you sit," I tell her. We fall silent but I can tell Lily is a little put off. She slumps over her paper and quietly scratches down the notes Flitwick is dictating. I know enough about Lily to know that this is her favorite subject, so I don't say anything else. I look around the room. Remus and James are sitting together today. Remus is trying to pay attention but James is whispering something with a pained expression. Remus looks tired and worn. He normally does after full moon. It's sad that he has to go through that every month and I feel for him. He's nicer than the rest of their group- the group being James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Out of all of them, Remus seems to have a conscious. He's more aware of his actions and that atleast deserves some credit. I wonder if he's told his friends he's a werewolf.

I sigh and look down. My legs are burning. I need to run tomorrow. But I just don't think I'll make it that long.

--

I'm right. My legs can't stop shaking. I would not have been able to make a few hours anyway. Jogging at night is way different. It's colder. The lake is not reflecting. It is louder, there are crickets singing tonight. It makes me nervous too because I can hardly see in front of me. Sometimes I hear splashing below me so I know that I'm too close to the water. It takes me a little longer, but I make it and I feel loads better. I wipe my forehead with my t shirt and go back inside to take a shower.

As I walk down the hallway, I hear a noise, but I don't stop. I hear it again, and I try to make it out. It sounds like footsteps, but at a faster pace than mine. I stop but they keep going. I turn around and I'm face to face with Sirius Black.

"What are you doing?" I ask him in surprise. I silently curse myself. He looks at me suspiciously.

"What are _you_ doing?" he asks in turn. He looks me up and down. "And why are you sweating?"

I don't say anything. I look at him a second longer, then turn, but he catches up with me.

"Hello? Yeah, hi, I just asked you a question."

"And I decided not to answer." I say. He whistles.

"She can speak more than a few words!" I roll my eyes and keep walking. He doesn't say anymore, maybe because he'll know I won't say anything. The curiousity is probably killing him. I laugh inside..

I leave him in the common room. I'm too tired to deal with any more.

The dorm is empty and the window is closed. I think about opening it up and taking more pictures. I don't. Instead, I take my camera out of my trunk and leave it on my bed side table. I stare at it for a while before I place it carefully back in my trunk, and get in bed. I fall asleep within minutes.

--

Chapter Three

When I wake up, I sneeze. While I'm jogging, I sneeze. When I take a shower, I sneeze.

I don't think I'll be looking out windows anymore. Though I guess jogging in temperatures below freezing isn't exactly helping either.

At breakfast, I don't eat. Instead, I grab a mug of hot chocolate and drink it slowly. It soothes my aching throat, but I can hardly taste the chocolate- my nose is too congested. I sigh as I push the mug back. I can tell today is not going to be fun.

--

Christmas is coming soon. That means presents and no school for an entire two weeks. I need the break. School sucks. Thank God it's almost over.

I climb the steps from the Great Hall to go to Transfiguration. McGonagall is guaranteed to say something about my lip ring. Again. Whatever.

I don't pay attention. Instead I doodle in my textbook. Sirius Black is sitting next to me today. I don't question my classmates anymore. It gets me no where.

I cough once. Then again. And suddenly, I can't stop. Whatever is in my throat is not going away. McGonagall stops teaching and sighs exasperatedly. Well, what would you like me to do, hm? I can't breathe and I stand up to go out in the hallway.

I lean against the wall in the corridor as my hacking continues. I'm beant over, my head between my knees when I feel a hand on my back. I look up. It's Lily Evans. She has her wand and she points it at me. Anapneo and just like that I can breathe again. My eyes are streaming and I feel like I'm going to barf everywhere. I grab her wand, produce a bucket and spew into it.

"Thanks," I'm gasping, but it's the best I can do for the moment. I can hardly breathe. She nods and I give her back her wand. The bucket disappears, along with my sick and the disgustingness it carries.

"Are you okay?" she asks me. I shake my head. I'm sick, obviously. I tell her. She suggests going up to Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, but I shake my head again- that old bat doesn't know a thing. I go up there for a Pepperup Potion and the next thing I know I'll be in there for two weeks.

Screw. That.

We head back inside the classroom. McGonagall is glaring at me over her glasses. Like I'm suppose to control my coughing. Yeah right. I sit down next to Sirius who is now staring at me. I try not to look at him. Knowing myself at this moment, I probably wouldn't be able to look away.

--

I'm still sick a week later. This is not good. I must have Restless Leg Syndrome or something too. Since I've been sick, I've not been jogging. My muscles are betraying my comands and spazzing out. I can't ever sit still. Always fidgeting. This is never ending.

But on the flip side, school is over until after the new year. Yay school vacations. I'm not going home this year. Not that I go home any year, but still. It's a momentous occasion.

Lily Evans is still trying to talk to me. I still don't understand why. I ran into her at Hogsmeade and she starting talking. I was a little in shock, but I listened to what she said. She was wondering if I knew a good camera store near by. My eyes widened a little. I had brought my camera too. I pointed to the one across from Dervish & Banges. She smiled at me. I smiled back.

--

The guy at the store is showing me how to develop my film. Since Hagrid didn't give me a Muggle camera, if I develop it the right way, they'll move like the portraits. That's pretty exciting, I guess. My pictures of the sky will move. Well, not the sky, per se, but the trees will be blowing in the wind. Like looking out a window. Except I won't get sick again. The actual window will not be open.

When I wake up on Christmas morning, I almost forget it is. Christmas, I mean. There is only three presents at the end of my bed. This is exciting- it's two more than last year. I grab the one that says To Amy From Mum and Dad and rip it open.

A pair of socks. A very lovely pair of socks, might I add. Fuzzy. Warm. I slip them on. There's a card, but I don't read it just yet. The excitement is now getting to me. I realize just then that the dorm is empty. Interesting. You'd think all the girls would be squealing over presents. Guess not. I glance at the clock.

12:53. PM. That explains a lot.

So I unwrap the rest of my presents by myself. The first one is wrapped in black paper and the second one in green. I pick up the green. It seems less sinister.

It's from Lily. Funny. I unroll a few canisters of film. Funny because I just ran out of the one in the camera. Funny because I got her the exact same thing. I flip open her card.

Dear Amethyst. I figured you'd need these. Take some good ones. There was a little smiley face next to that. From Lily.

That was nice. I've never gotten a present from someone other than family before. My stomach is hurting. I don't know why this makes my stomach hurt. It just does.

I stare at the black present for awhile. For some reason I'm afraid to open it. But then I just do. I rip the paper slowly, just thinking about the noise it's making. It's very solid. I rip it all off. And out falls a box. It's made of cardboard. There's nothing on the box. I open it. And out falls a folded up tripod. I stare at it. My stomach starts to hurt again. There's no card.

--

I hold my camera tightly as I walk to the Great Hall for breakfast. Well, lunch, I guess. I woke up kind of late. Before I walk in though, I stay in the doorframe. No one is noticing me. There's hardly anyone here, except for it looks like Lily and The Marauders, a few Slytherins, a Hufflepuff and four Ravenclaws.

There's a smaller table sitting in the middle of the Great Hall. The other House tables are pushed against the walls. The table seems miniscule compared to the vast room.

The Hufflepuff is sitting with the Ravenclaws. You can see there is some sort of division, even in the small table. On one part is all the teachers- Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Sinistra and Sprout. Hagrid is also sitting with them. On the other side is Lily and the others. They are talking quietly, ignoring the looks and stares the Hufflepuff plus Ravenclaws are throwing at Sirius Black. The Slytherins aren't talking. Not even to each other.

I stand about fifty feet away from the table when I take a picture. No one notices. I look around. I take a picture of the ceiling. It's white. But the clouds are moving. That'll look cool.

Lily spots me and waves me over. I stuff my camera in my bag. I left the tripod in my room. What was I going to use it for?

I sit down. Lily immediately starts talking, laughing how we both got each other the same presents. She's throwing James these looks, secretive almost. But it makes no sense. Last I knew, Lily hated his guts. I guess not this year. She jokes around with them all like they're all best friends. She's also throwing one of the Slytherin looks, surprisingly. James seems to notice and is glaring at the Slytherin.

He's kind of weird looking. His hair is long, longer than Sirius's. And shiny. Like he never washed the conditioner out of his hair. Or maybe he just never washes it period. Either way, it's a turn off. His nose, which is quite large, is too. He slumps over his bowl of food, and occasionally glances up. But he doesn't say anything.

Dumbledore is chatting with Professor Sinistra who is looking rather sick too. There's something going around, I suppose. I'm not as sick as before. The need to throw up though has not gone away since that day in the corridor.

Sirius Black is watching me. I don't know why. It's creeping me out. Remus is talking to him but he doesn't seem to notice. Remus is looking paler. Full moon is coming up again. Poor Remus.

Sirius snaps out of it. He looks down at his plate and his face turns deep red, like he's suddenly embarrassed. As if I hadn't been glaring at him for the past minute, like he's just noticing that he's caught. He's a little slow. Hot as hell, sure. But slower than snail.

--

Christmas dinner was much the same. I left early, not really hungry. I head to the library, where I know it is empty. The old librarian is gone to who knows or cares where so I have it all to myself.

I find a sheaf of parchment and a quill and write a letter to my parents.

Hi. Thanks for the socks. My feet aren't cold anymore. Hope you had a Happy Christmas. Tell Amber I love her. Amy.

I think there was no point in going to the library if the letter was going to be less then a paragraph. I sigh. I walk to the Owlery.

--

I don't think the Owlery has ever been cleaned in the over one thousand years Hogwarts has been erected. No one knows what the actual floor looks like, though it can't be all that promising. Feathers gather in tumble weeds and the breeze makes them fly. The breeze that comes in through the never closed windows. I sigh. What a way to get sick. Again.

I walk in cautiously, not wanting to slip on anything. I stand in the middle and look for my owl. Her name is Onyx. The name is fitting. I spot her immediately. She's the darkest owl in the school. She flies down from her perch and her stare is piercing. Her eyes are as amber as my sister's. Which is fitting, considering one of the reasons I'm sending the letter in the first place.

Onyx unfolds her wings and the wingspan always takes me by surprise. She's at least five feet for each wing. She's absolutely huge. And lethal. Once, by accident, when I was 12, she cut my arm as she flew away. I was hospitalized for a year because my professors thought I was cutting myself. The cut runs from the crease in my forearm to the middle of my palm. She was in a hurry.

I tie the letter to her large foot. The talon glints in the moonlight. I glance up, suddenly remembering. Remus. Tonight he's not human. As Onyx flies away, it suddenly occures to me that I never know where he goes when he transforms. The thought irks me. He could be anywhere in the castle. And while I trust him more than his other friends, I do not trust an out of control werewolf.

--

I walk slowly back to my dorm. No one is there. I'm all alone. Lily is Head Girl. She has her own dormitory with James Potter, who is Head Boy. I sit alone in my common room and watch the fire. I'm thirsty. However, I do not feel like getting up. I take my camera and take a picture of the flames. When I develop this roll of film, I'll have that and my new socks to keep me warm at night.

--

Chapter Four

It's late. Like late- early. It's 2 am. I can't fall asleep. School is starting again in a few days. That makes my legs twitch even worse. I don't care if I get sick again. I need to run.

I pull a sweatshirt and shorts on. Already, my legs are calming down. My body knows I'm about to give it what it wants. I sneak out the front doors. They're never locked. Which is sad. What if the Dark Lord decides to pay Hogwarts a visit one day, hm? I don't think any of the professors are worried though. Whatever.

My trainers crunch the dry snow beneath me. The lake is frozen, but only just. It's not safe to walk on. I find a rock buried half way in the snow and toss it onto the frozen water. The ice cracks and it drifts a few inches. I shrug to myself.

I walk first, getting my muscles ready for the long haul. I take long strieds and bend, stretching the muscles on my femurs. I feel light and springy and I walk a little faster. My breath is coming quickly and in the moonlight, I can see the white puffs. It's a nice night.

I begin to jog and I instantly feel heaps better. The trees on my right flying past me in a whirl of sky and black. My breath puffs disappearing. The curve of the lake getting more pronounced.

And it's that moment when I realize it's full moon. And it's that moment that I suddenly berate myself for not thinking to check the lunar charts before I started. Hadn't I just been thinking about an uncontrollable werewolf the other day?

And it's that moment that the Whomping Willow is moving. And it's that moment that four slight figures suddenly emerge from no where. And it's at that moment that a seemingly small creature is suddenly standing on it's two hind legs and howlilng at the moon.

And it's that moment that I realize I'm still running. Which isn't necessarily a bad idea. But it's a bad idea when I'm running right at him. Remus is suddenly staring straight at me. I'm not exactly running straight at him. I'm following the curve of the lake. It just so happens that the curve of the lake is right near the Willow.

Several things are happening and I don't know what to do- Remus is lunging towards me, my heart is beating in my ears but it drops to my stomach. I can feel the vomit rise up in my chest. In my peripheral vision I can see the three other creatures, a dog, some kind of deer and something little, something I can't really see are suddenly chasing after him. And Remus is so totally after me.

And now I'm running even faster. And my muscles who were once screaming at me to move are now screaming at me in protest. They don't want to work faster, but I need to keep going. If Remus catches me, I'm done.

It doesn't occure to me that maybe I should scream. That maybe, just maybe, someone could look out a window and help me. I'm not thinking straight this night.

I can hear him growling. A feral snarl that's ripping through his taut chest. His snout bearing over his teeth. He's drooling, like Fang. Interesting how I think of Hagrid's dog at a time like this. And interesting how Hagrid doesn't hear this. I run straight passed his house.

Remus growls again. This time I can hear my panting and there's a noise, a noise that sounds like a whimper. And now I'm scared. I turn my head. They always tell you to never look back. Even in the movies. Never look back. Yeah well. Easier said than done. It's not easy. I want to know what's about to kill me and the approximation in when it happens. My breathing hitches and I concentrate on escaping.

So I look back. Remus is gaining ground and fast. The dog behind him is in the lead and is almost catching up with us. I don't get a chance to see anything else, just a glimpse of white that was that humongous deer-

I'm on my way to circling the lake twice now. Where else do I go? The castle? Mhmm, and bring in a full grown werewolf. That's Ravenclawish of me.

My legs are cramping now. And I'm defintely slowing down. Which is terrible because Remus is catching up. And suddenly, my legs scream their last scream and my muscles are locked tight and it's the worst pain imaginable-

I fall to the ground, crying out as I land near the lake. Remus is near and he launches himself at me. I scream, and it echoes into the darkness. I roll and now I'm on the lake, the ice miraculously holding my wait. How miraculous it would be if only Remus wasn't coming.

He misses his target, me, and changes direction. He's coming again. The black dog and the deer are trying to keep it back. The small thing, which I've now identified as a rat throws its tiny body across the werewolf and hangs on it's fur.

The dog barks menacingly and the deer is backing it into the Forbidden Forest. I feel a sense of relief course through my veins which is suddenly then gone.

I'm sitting on cracked ice in the middle of the lake. And no one is hear except a big black dog with shaggy fur and a teenaged boy turned werewolf. Fan-bloody-tastic.


End file.
